THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Thank you, Henry. Laura and I
appreciate you all coming. President Clinton and Senator Clinton,
welcome home. (Applause.) All who live here are temporary residents;
the portraits that are presented today will be held permanently in the
White House collection for all the ages. And so beginning today, the
likenesses of President William Jefferson Clinton and First Lady
Hillary Rodham Clinton will take their place in a line that began with
George and Martha Washington. (Applause.)

Laura and I are pleased to welcome members of the Clinton and
Rodham family, thank you all for coming. It's great to see Chelsea.
The fact that you survived your teenage years in the White House --
(laughter) -- speaks to the fact that you had a great mom and dad
(Applause.)

We are pleased that Mrs. Dorothy Rodham is here. Welcome, we're
glad you're here. (Applause.) And those two boys you're still trying
to raise. (Laughter.) Hugh and Tony, thank you for coming, we're glad
you're here. (Applause.) It's good to see so many who served our
nation so ably in the Clinton administration. Thank you all for coming
back. Thanks for your service to the country, and welcome back to the
White House. We're really glad you're here and I know the President
is, as well.

As you might know, my father and I have decided to call each other
by numbers. (Laughter.) He's 41, I'm 43. It's a great honor to --
it's a great pleasure to honor number 42. We're glad you're here, 42.
(Applause.) The years have done a lot to clarify the strengths of this
man. As a candidate for any office, whether it be the state attorney
general or the President, Bill Clinton showed incredible energy and
great personal appeal. As chief executive, he showed a deep and
far-ranging knowledge of public policy, a great compassion for people
in need, and the forward-looking spirit the Americans like in a
President. Bill Clinton could always see a better day ahead -- and
Americans knew he was working hard to bring that day closer.

Over eight years, it was clear that Bill Clinton loved the job of
the presidency. He filled this house with energy and joy. He's a man
of enthusiasm and warmth, who could make a compelling case and
effectively advance the causes that drew him to public service.

People saw those gifts very early in Bill Clinton. He is
remembered in Hope, Arkansas, and other places along the way, as an
eager, good-hearted boy who seemed destined for big things. I was
particularly struck by the story of a nun at St. John's School in Hot
Springs who decided that Billy Clinton should get a C in deportment.
That was a rare grade for the future Rhodes Scholar and President.
(Laughter.) So Bill's mother gave the nun a call to see what was
wrong. The sister replied, "Oh, nothing much. But let me tell you,
this boy knows the answer to every question and he just leaps to his
feet before anyone else can." (Laughter.) She went on, you know, "I
know he'll not tolerate this C, but it'll be good for him. And I
promise you, if he wants to be, he will be President someday."

People in Bill Clinton's life have always expected him to succeed
-- and, more than that, they wanted him to succeed. And meeting those
expectations took more than charm and intellect -- it took hard work
and drive and determination and optimism. And after all, you've got to
be optimistic to give six months of your life running the McGovern
campaign in Texas. (Laughter and applause.)

He won his first statewide office at age 30, sworn in as governor
at 32. He was a five-time governor of Arkansas, the first man from
that state to become the President. He's also the first man in his
party since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term in the White
House. And I could tell you more of the story, but it's coming out in
fine bookstores all over America. (Laughter and applause.)

At every stage in the extraordinary rise of Bill Clinton, from the
little ranch house on Scully Street to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he and
Roger had a wonderful, loving mother. And I am certain that Virginia
Kelley would be filled with incredible pride this morning. (Applause.)

And so would Hugh Rodham, Senior. Mr. Rodham did have the joy of
seeing his only daughter become America's First Lady. And I know he
would not be surprised to see her as she is today, an elected United
States Senator, and a woman greatly admired in our country. From the
earliest days of her youth in Park Ridge, Illinois, Hillary Rodham
impressed her family and friends as a person of great ability and
serious purpose. At Maine Township High School South, at Wellesley
College, and at Yale Law School, classmates saw her not just an
achiever, but as a role model and as a leader. She inspires respect
and loyalty from those who know her, and it was a good day in both
their lives when they met at the library at Yale Law School Library.

Hillary's commitment to public service continued when she left this
house. Listen, New York politics is a serious business -- (laughter)
-- it's rough business. It takes an extraordinary person to campaign
and win the United States Senate. She has proven herself more equal to
the challenge. And she takes an interesting spot on American history
today, for she is the only sitting senator whose portrait hangs in the
White House. (Applause.)

The paintings of the Clintons are the work of a fine American
artist, Simmie Knox. Mr. Knox has rendered portraits of a Supreme
Court Justice, a Cabinet minister, a mayor and members of Congress.
And today we thank him for putting his skilled hand to the portraits
that are about to be unveiled.

More than 40 years have passed since a boy of 16 came here to the
White House with a group from the American Legion Boys Nation. On that
day in the summer of 1963, Bill Clinton of Arkansas looked into the
face of John F. Kennedy, and left the Rose Garden feeling very proud
that he had shaken the hand of a President. Today he can be even
prouder of decades of service, and effort, and perseverance that
brought him back to this place as the 42nd President of the United
States.

My congratulations to you both. And now will you to join me on
stage for the presentation. (Applause.)